Effect of collection efficiency and oxidation factor on greenhouse gas emission and life cycle cost of landfill distributed energy generation

The landfill gas obtainable from municipal solid waste landfills can be a useful energy carrier for distributed electricity generation if properly harnessed. The quantity of the landfill gas available for use can be greatly influenced by its collection efficiency and the oxidation factor. This paper therefore estimates the possible effect of landfill gas collection efficiency as well as the oxidation factor on the electricity generation potential, life cycle cost and greenhouse gas emission of a landfill distributed generation system. To achieve this objective(s), the municipal solid waste data of the city of Ibadan is used and the amount of landfill gas obtainable in the short and long terms from the decomposition of waste in the landfill is determined using the Landfill Emission Generation Model software. The results showed that the average landfill gas generation rate based on the estimated waste profile of the city was 0.2028 billion cubic metres per year which could produce about 372 Giga Watts hour per year of electricity. It also demonstrated that the collection efficiency and oxidation factor have reciprocating impact on the electricity generation potential obtainable from landfill sites. This study can be found useful for landfill operators, engineers, environmentalists and other stakeholders in waste management sector on the need to operate upgraded landfill sites for improved energy generation and environmental benefits.